iPhone X - here's what the reviews say
The most anticipated day for iPhone lovers is here. Apple's special 10th-anniversary edition of the original iPhone is all set to go on sale today. The phone has already hit the shelves in Australia and several other countries, while in India online and brick and mortar stores will sell it starting 6pm.
iPhone X is here! A big thank-you to all our customers in Sydney, and everyone turning out around the world Friday! ???? pic.twitter.com/5NKXUnePLu
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) November 2, 2017
The device brings with it some radical changes to the DNA of the iPhone family, some of which have not entirely gone down well with experts around the globe.
So ahead of its launch, we take a look at what reviewers are saying about the phone.
Plenty to admire in the iPhone X
Wired's Steven Levy, who was one of the first to get his hands on the iPhone X ahead of its launch, is all praise for the device. Describing his interaction with the phone, he does mull the lack of a fingerprint scanner in the phone, but apart from that, his first impressions of the phone were all positive. Here's what he had to say:
"There’s plenty to admire in the iPhone X straight from the unboxing. The biggest change stares you in the face: that screen, that screen. The iPhone X is a big screen in a compact form factor—Cinerama in a phone booth... The iPhone X camera also represents a major upgrade. The phone is a step towards fading the actual physical manifestation of technology into a mist where it’s just there —a phone that’s “all screen,” one that turns on simply by seeing you, one that removes the mechanics of buttons and charging cables."
'Shines like jewel'
That's how India Today Tech's Javed Anwer describes the iPhone X in a quick review posted on the website. The review also focuses on the phone's most talked about feature – FaceID: "It holds your gaze – ahem, literally because of that Face ID that focuses on your eyes – and then makes you fall in love with it. Well, that is the kind of impression the iPhone X leaves... The iPhone X seems almost flawless, and a phone that you will not only fall in love at first sight but will probably keep loving for at least a year."
Answering questions about the phone being worth the hefty price tag, the review says, "Absolutely. If you are an iPhone fan, you need to get the iPhone X. If you are not an iPhone fan, you will be as happy with the iPhone 8 Plus as you are going to be with the iPhone X. But there is something that needs to be said about the iPhone X. It's not just about the performance, design, screen, cameras battery life (yet to test it) and all these other bits. The good phones are always more than the sum of their parts. They feel special when you use them. The iPhone X feels like of these phones. It feels special."
The best iPhone ever made
That's pretty much what The Verge's Nilay Patel tries to hammer home in his review of the iPhone X. As the review is still not finished and has been classified as a work in progress, the publication has shied away from giving it a rating yet, but the phone seems to have left the reviewer satisfied:
"It’s thin, it’s powerful, it has ambitious ideas about what cameras on phones can be used for, and it pushes the design language of phones into a strange new place. It is a huge step forward in terms of phone hardware, and it has the notch to show for it. If you’re one of the many people who preordered this thing, I think you’ll be happy."
It's like using the future of smartphones today
TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino, who reviewed the phone at Disneyland instead of a lab, had this to say: "Overall, using the iPhone X well takes some time. It’s a big change from a physical home button to a completely swipe-based interface. But it’s fast, fluid and a lot of fun once you get used to it. Before you know it, you’ll forget you ever had to whack a home button to get things done. There are some rough edges here and there. The notch isn’t for everyone, and the screen does have some color issues at extreme viewing angles. But overall Apple bets big on a bunch of technologies all at once on the iPhone X and it delivered almost across the board. It really is like using the future of smartphones, today."
Good phone but not worth splurging
In an honest review of this highly anticipated smartphone, Augustman says: "Should you get the iPhone X? Without taking price into consideration, it's a hearty yes from us. However, if you're going to go without food and perhaps a kidney in the next few months just for an iPhone X, we highly suggest that you consider an iPhone 8 Plus instead."
If any phone is worth £1,000, this is it
This is what The Telegraph had to say about the iPhone X, which retails at a hefty price tag in the UK. In their review of the device, they add, "The phone is impressively zippy, capable of handling anything you throw at it. Battery life is iPhone battery life - we got to the end of each day without having to charge it, but only just... Apple has made us wait for the modern smartphone it needed, but the end result is its best effort in years."
Perfect size, but not the perfect experience
In their review of the device, CNET, it appeared, had bought into the promise of the iPhone X, but chose to sit on the fence over its judgement on the overall experience that the phone provides. "I think the X is in the sweet spot that the older iPhone sizes could never perfectly be. It's a good-feeling phone with a nice, large screen. The shift to Face ID and the removal of the home button feel like changes that some might be fine with, and others will find unnecessary."
Get ready for the future
Mashable too is all praise for the latest iPhone. Here's what it had to say: "The Apple iPhone X is everything an Apple iPhone should be: Gorgeously designed, innovative, risky, inviting and effective in dozens of myriad tasks. It’s a "look at me" device that, by shedding one of its most iconic features, fades even more effectively into the background when you use it... The iPhone X changes the iPhone experience, but for the most part those changes are for the better...the iPhone X is the future so just get ready for it."
'18 hours, and I'm already sold'
That's what Business Insider's Steve Kovach had to say about the iPhone X. In his review, he explains how during his interaction, he found the iPhone X's design refreshing after "over three years of essentially the same look".
He was also fairly satisfied with Apple's FaceID. Here's what he had to say: "All that panic over Face ID seems to be for nothing... In my short time with the iPhone X, Face ID has worked well. It unlocks the phone quickly in low light, bright light, and even in the near darkness of Business Insider's video studio... Better yet, it seems impossible to trick. I had a set of identical twins come into the office on Monday to put the facial recognition system to the test."
Worth burning a hole in your pocket
As for us, we haven't yet got our hands on the phone yet, but we still believe that the device is worth the price – if only just – that Apple is asking for. As explained in an opinion on DailyO, as is the case with any iPhone, the price of the iPhone X is not determined by the technology the phone offers but is reflective of the brand's premium value to the user, and for this phone that is nostalgia and futuristic tech all rolled into one.
The price of Rs 89,000 for the 64GB variant seems just acceptable, and one that shouldn't push you into the arms of the more affordable iPhone 8 or 8 Plus.